"At best, The Class is great reality TV." - David Phelps

A compelling drama, offering an authentic-feeling view of an inner-city classroom.

Almost, just almost, overplays its hand. The authenticity in setting and performances is the saving grace.

It's all designed to flatter the middle-class art-film audience's patronizing attitude toward the Third World.

88.750

Everything here seems real, because Cantet, inspired by a cinéma-vérité style, puts on the screen not only classmates' conflicts, but racial, ethnic and social subjects that define the Europe of these days.

A fantastically realistic and moving film. I loved every second of it.

Of all these superrealistic french, belgian etc. films I've seen (L'enfant and other films like it), this beats them all. Talk about a long film in which the realism kept you in it solely. I was nodding my head, speaking for them, I was touched, moved, happy with them, nail-biting etc. The teacher IS a teacher, never doubted it. Students real students. Must be. Anyways, it just gives you the real deal. Modern schools for you, from all angles. Hard as hell, full of everyday heroes. And noise.

DNF

Undoubtedly the greatest film dealing with educational problems, "The Class" is a powerful punch, an absolute triumph. It deals with the system's flaws without forgetting any, takes the students' family problems into account, realistically depicts the clashes between teachers and pupils, suggests solutions, shows every rotten side of the matter. A brave, objective film. Only minus the tiring trembling camera in the first part. But who cares?

A supreme example of how sometimes you only need to develop a great story to its fullest to make an exceptional film. No moment is wasted. Everything adds up to an amazingly raw, sincere, and compelling film about the struggles and frustrations of a teacher and how the power of passion helps one persevere in such a mentally and emotionally taxing and yet underappreciated profession. A well-deserved Palme d'Or. A pity it lost to the sappy "Departures" in the Best Foreign Film category.

Extremely good acting, amazing talents! At times it is so tense, it's almost unbearable.

I babbled for more than 500 characters: http://www.flixster.com/movie/entre-les-murs-the-class#review:820123502_770770023

Interesting and insightful class portrait of a French teacher and what he learnt that year. Understated.

A bold and clever film that somehow blends reality and fiction with spectacular results. First of all you feel huge respect and sympathy for the heroic teacher of a teenage hellmob... by the end the tables have been turned and you are internally debating a whole host of issues revolving around youth, education, justice, social class, migration and more. I'll admit I spent most of the time wondering how much was real-real and how much scripted, but overall, I found it a fascinating watch.

Although it lacks dramatic tension or an actual plot, the naturalism in which "Entre les murs" portrays school life makes for an absolutely engrossing and thought-provoking motion picture experience. Bégaudeau excels both as a screenwriter as well as a protagonist, as the film practically brims with immersive dialogues, both impeccably written and performed. Despite the lack of a robust emotional impact, the film still resonates and offers an unadorned yet captivating essay on modern education.